Sacramento State’s Student Health and Counseling Services is staging its fourth annual book swap to raise money for the Sacramento SPCA and the county Animal Shelter. The campaign for critters takes place 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, June 7, in Sac State’s Serna Plaza.

Sacramento State philosophy Professor Matthew McCormick is passionate about challenging his students to think for themselves. That’s one reason he was cited by the College of Arts and Letters as this year’s outstanding teacher. But winning two such honors in the space of six years suggests several other reasons.

Alumnus Erike Young has received a national safety award, and he credits the skills he acquired in Sacramento State’s Master of Public Policy and Administration program for helping him earn that honor.

Sacramento State’s Warren Drew Smith, a professor of electrical and electronic engineering, is a renowned specialist in biomedical engineering whose cutting-edge research has produced some exciting medical breakthroughs.

Part classroom. Part cultural center. Part meditative study. Sacramento State’s Sokiku Nakatani Tea Room and Garden celebrated its fifth anniversary Friday, June 8, with the 197th ceremony in the room.

For the past two decades, dedicated groups of Sacramento State engineering students have applied their diverse skills toward creating a Formula SAE race car to compete in collegiate events. This year’s squad is gearing up for the Formula SAE collegiate competition June 20-23 in Lincoln, Neb.

We deeply regret that Sunday night’s drum and bugle corps event at Hornet Stadium ended early because of a lighting failure. We especially apologize to the young members of those groups and their families, some of whom traveled great distances to participate.

Tuesday, May 1, was a special day for Jessica Nugent. That day, she was recognized as this year’s recipient of the College of Engineering and Computer Science Dean’s Award at a dinner at the Sacramento State Alumni Center for all seven Dean’s Award recipients.

The deadline for submissions for the 18th annual California Journalism Awards and the Katharine M. Macdonald Award has been extended to Aug. 10. The event is sponsored by Sacramento State’s Center for California Studies and the Sacramento Press Club.